One thing you can count on with the Detroit Lions is that they are never, ever boring. Follow the latest news including injuries, roster moves and more here daily from Oakland Press beat writer Paula Pasche. Plus you'll find regular commentary about the team.

10/18/2011

Did officials give 49ers an advantage on the game-winning drive?

Looking back on it, the officiating may have cost the Lions a win on Sunday.

Not only were there bad calls including a horse-collar call on Chris Houston when he had just grabbed a little jersey, but also a bad chop block call on Brandon Pettigrew and the safety on Matthew Stafford that was questionable.

Now, according to a report on ProFootballTalk,com, the officials gave the 49ers an extra five yards on the game-winning drive when they spotted the ball in the wrong place.

With the Lions leading 19-14, they punted from their own 36-yard line with five-plus minutes left in the game. Ted Ginn fielded the punt, and crossed midfield before getting pushed out at the Lions’ 40 by punter Ryan Donahue.

The ball was spotted at Detroit’s 35, giving the 49ers a 5-yard advantage, per the PFT report.

Just watched the replay over and over. The TV announcers called Ginn out at the 36, but it looked closer to the 38 to me. Didn’t have a good view and he could have had a foot out at the 40. Definitely the ball was spotted at the 35 for the 49ers to begin their drive which resulted in a fourth-down, 6-yard touchdown pass. So San Francisco got at least a 1-yard advantage maybe 5.

The Lions didn’t notice the bad spot and neither did anyone else. Perhaps they were too upset with all the missed tackles on the punt. (I counted four.) The skirmish at the end between Jim Schwartz and Jim Harbaugh seemed to overshadow everything.

San Francisco was called for 15 penalties in the game including five for false starts due to the crowd noise. They were belly-aching about the officiating following the game. Detroit was whistled for six.

About Me

Paula Pasche, a veteran sports writer, covers the Lions for The Oakland Press. She has written a book, "100 Things Lions Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die" which is available at bookstores and on Amazon.com. She won first place for column writing from the Society of Professional Journalists in Detroit (Class B) in 2011, 2012 and 2013 and was The Oakland Press 2010 Staffer of the Year.